Automatic wagon-brake.



No. 673,25. I Patented Apr. 30. lam.

, v c. w. MILLER.

AUTOMATIC WAGON BRAKE.

(Application filed Oct. 1 1900.)

(No Model.)

Y. NITOED, STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES W. MILLER, OF FORT COLLINS, COLORADO.

AUTOMATIC WAGON-BRAKE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 673,215, dated April 30, 1901.

Application filed October 1, 1900.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES W. MILLER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Fort Ool1ins,in the county of Larimer,State of 0010- rado, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Wagon-Brakes; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to wagon-brakes in general, although the principles involved may be applied to brakes for other vehicles, and it has specific reference to automatic brakes, the object of the invention being to provide a device of this nature wherein when the wagon goes down a hill the brakes will be antomatically operated and when a steeper hill is reached the brakes will be put on to a greater degree, further objects and advantages of the invention being evident from the following description.

In the drawings forming a portion of this specification, and in which like numerals of reference indicate similar parts in the several views, Figure 1 is a side elevation showing a portion of a wagon which is equipped with the present brake. Fig. 2 is a perspective View showing the sills which are connected with the rear axle and illustrating the position of the brake mechanism attached thereto, the mechanism being in its operative position. Fig. 3 is a side elevation showing the positions of the parts when the Wagon is descendiug a very steep hill. Fig. 4 is a side elevation showing the end of the shaft.

Referring now to the drawings, 5 represents the coupling-pole of a wagon, upon which the reach 6 rests and to which it is coupled by means of an iron 7, having a perforation 8 therein alining with a perforation in the reach, these perforations being adapted to receive a coupling-pin in the usual manner, which engages a perforation in the pole. The rear end of the reach issecured to the rear axletree 9 in the usual manner, and to this tree is secured the axle 10, having the rear wheels 11 thereon, these wheels being free to Serial No. 31,696. (No model.)

turn on the axle and having gear-wheels 13 at their hubs for operation of the brake mechanism in the manner hereinafter described.

The ends of the iron 7 depend below the coupling-pole and the reach, as illustrated, and in these depending portions are formed longitudinal slots 14, with which are engaged the ends ,of a cross-head 15, which is adapted to slide therein. This cross-head 15 is mounted loosely upon a brake-rod 16, adjacent one end thereof, said adjacent end having a stop 17 in the form of an annular flange, and between this stop and the cross-head and encircling the rod is a helical spring 20, which bears at one end against the stop and at the opposite end against the cross-head. A second stop 18 is formed upon or secured to the brake-rod at the opposite side of the crosshead, and between it and the cross-head is a second helical spring 19, which encircles the rod and bears against said stop and the crosshead to balance the tendency of the spring 20, above referred to. g

The rear end of the brake-rod is connected with the crank 21'of a crank-shaft 2:2, which is journaled in blocks 23, depending from the axletree and which shaft is provided with gears 24, meshing with the gears upon the wheel-hubs. Thus as the vehicle moves the gears will be rotated and through the medium of the crankshaft the brake-rod will be reciprocated, giving a corresponding movement to the cross-head in the slots or guides. Under normal conditions the cross-head has unrestricted movement; but it will be understood that if the cross-head be held stationary the reciprocation of the brake-rod will be then through the cross-head and against the tendency of the springs, the degree of resistance of the springs depending upon the point at which the cross-head is fixed.

In order to hold the cross-head stationary when the wagon is going downhill and to au- 'tomatically lock it, slidable bolts 25 and 26 are provided upon the outer face of each of the depending portions of the plate 7, these bolts being in the form of bolt-plates having longitudinal slots therein, through which are passed studs 28, having heads to prevent "ployed, as will be readily understood.

that a description of one will sufiice for the other. The bolts 25 and,26 are separated by an interspace, as shown, and which is of such extent that when both bolts are dropped to lie transversely of the slot .the end of the,

7 cross-head may lie therebetween, this position of the cross-head being such as to cause" compression of the springs alternately;asthe brake-rod is reciprocated, for the reasonthat the-cross-head' is then at a point midway of theends of its normal path of movement with th e-brake-rod.

The bolt is so located with respect tothe slot of plate '7 that when dropped across the slot there is sufficient room between it and the end of the slot to accommodate the crosshead, and when the bolt is dropped to hold the cross-head in this position the movement of the brake-rod through the cross-head acts to compress one spring to a maximum and to stretch the other spring toa maximum, and thus offer the greatest resistance to the rotation of the, wagon-wheels.

the movement of the brake-rod to that degree that the wheels can make only a partial rotation either way and are thus locked.

To provide for bringing the bolts into operation automatically when the vehicle starts downhill, slides are provided, one above each set of bolts, and these slides have each three notches 31, 32, and 33 in its upper edge, and the upperends of the bolts, which lie behindthe slides, are extended above the slides and have pins 35, which engage against the upper edges of the slides. The notches are so formed and positioned that as the slides are moved longitudinally the pins 35 will first drop into notches 31 and 33 to drop both bolts and catch the cross-head between the bolts, and if the slides be then further moved the pin of bolt 25 will ride up the inclined side of notch 31 and then drop into notch 32, permitting the crosshead to move to the end of the slot and then dropping behind it to holdit in this position. A crank-shaft is journaled in the depend-. ing portions of the plate 7, and the cranks 41 at the ends thereof are pivoted to the slides, and depending from the crank-shaft is a pendulum, whereby as the wagon descends a hill the crank-shaft will first be operated to move the slides to lock the cross-head between the bolts, and when the wagon descends a steeper hill to raise the bolt 25 to lock the cross-head in the second position named. During the second movement of the slides above described the pin of bolt 26 remains in notch 33 for the reason that said notch is of proper length. When the wagon reaches a level or a slight grade, the pendulumagain operates the slides to lift the bolts, which are held lifted, and the Furthermore, in this position of the cross-head the stops limit cross-head is free to reciprocate as in the first instance.

"What isclaimed is i 1. The combination with a vehicle, of a reciprocatory rod having operative connection with a wheel of the vehicle, a cross-head slidably mounted upon the rod, resistance devices for the cross --head carried by the rod, and means for holding the cross-head against movement, whereby the resiliency of the springs will retard movement of the wheel connected with the rod.-

2. The combinationwith avehicle, of a reciprocatory rod h aving operative connection cross --head, bolts disposed for movement across the guideways to hold the cross-head from movement therein, resistance devices on the rod for retarding the movement of the rod through the cross-head, and/a pendulum operatively connected with the-bolts to move them into and out of operative position-when the slant of the vehicle ischanged.

4. The combination witha vehicle having wheels provided with gears, a crank --shaft having gears meshing-with the firstfnamed gears, a rod connected with the crankof the shaft, a cross-head mountedeslidablyon the rod, springs held upon the rod against movement and bearing against the-cross-head to retard the movement of .the rod through the head, guideways for thecross-head, bolts disposed for movement across the guideways and separated by interspaces to receive the cross-head betweenthem and hold it against movement, the guideways being extended beyondthe bolts to receive the cross-head between. them and the ends of the slots,-notohed slides, pins carried by the bolts and adapted to enter the notches when the slides are moved to receive them, one of the notches of each slide being formed to discharge the pin therein when moved to its limit, to raise one of the bolts operated by each slide, said slides having additional notches to receive the pins of said'bolts when the slides are further operated, and a pendulum connected with the slides for operating them.

In testimony whereof I hereuntolsign'my name, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses, on this 20th day of August, .1900.

CHARLES W. MILLER. 

